HMRC consults on partnership tax changes

HMRCis consulting on proposals to clarify the tax treatments of general and limited partnerships.

The consultation covers areas where the government has identified that the tax rules may be seen as unclear or produce an inappropriate outcome.

These areas comprise:

clarification of who is the partner chargeable to tax

business structures that include partnerships as partners

investment income – tax administration

trading and property income – tax administration

allocation and calculation of partnership profit

The object of the proposals is to remove uncertainty by making the calculation and reporting of partnership profits clearer for taxpayers, HMRC said.

“This will prevent unnecessary costs for compliant taxpayers and reduce the scope for non-compliant customers to avoid or delay paying tax. It will have no effect on the vast majority of partnerships. It seeks to provide clarity in particular circumstances where the current rules are seen as creating uncertainty,” it said.